How Sanitas is organised

The Sanitas Group is one of the leading health insurance companies in Switzerland. Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) was founded in 1958 with the aim of providing insurance for the economic consequences of illness, accident, maternity, disability and death.

Today, the Sanitas Group comprises Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation), Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company) and three operational joint-stock companies. Of these three companies, one is responsible for mandatory basic health insurance business pursuant to KVG/HIA (Sanitas Grundversicherungen AG) and one for supplementary health insurance business pursuant to VVG/IPA (Sanitas Privatversicherungen AG). The third company, Sanitas Management AG, is the service provider of the Sanitas Group and it takes care of the cross-group services of the other companies.

Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) holds the entire shares of Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company), which in turn holds all the shares of the operational companies. Additionally, Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company) has shares in other companies, including a 33.3% share in Sanacare AG which specialises in managed care models. None of the shares of the above companies are traded on the stock exchange. In its desire to act as a corporate role model, Sanitas has professionalised and strengthened the governance of the Sanitas Group in areas including transparency, independence and integrated risk management. It pays particular attention to personal independence. Accordingly, every member of the board of trustees and board of directors must issue a public declaration stating his or her independence of any other organisation or company.

Corporate structure

Foundation board

Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) holds the entire shares of Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company). The Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) board of trustees currently comprises 16 members. Members of the board of trustees are elected for a term of one year.

More information on the foundation

 

Members of the Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) board of trustees:

Prof. Dr. med. Felix Gutzwiller
Chairman since 2015, member since 2000

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Nadine Balkanyi-Nordmann
Member since 2013*

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Peter Burkard
Member since 2004

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Ueli Dietiker
Member since 2008*

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Joachim Eder
Member since 2015

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Dr. Patrick R. Gschwend
Member since 2004

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Jürg Hafner
Member since 2004

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Prof. Dr. Dominique Jakob
Member since 2017

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Ralph Jeitziner
Member since 1999

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Dr. Catrina Luchsinger Gähwiler
Member since 2015

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Manfred Manser
Member since 2015

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Dr. Luca Stäger
Member since 2015*

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Michel Sudbrack
Member since 2019*

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Monika Friedli-Walser
Member since 2013* 

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Peter Lüssi
Member since 2023*

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Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Kindler
Member since 2023*

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*Member of the Sanitas board of directors

Klaus Freitag, honorary president of the Sanitas board of trustees
Kurt Wilhelm, honorary president of the Sanitas board of trustees

Board of directors

Since 1 January 2017, the board of directors of Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company) is identical with the board of directors of the operational companies Sanitas Grundversicherungen AG and Sanitas Privatversicherungen AG. The board of directors of Sanitas Management AG, newly founded in 2021, is also identical to the board of directors of the other companies. The board of directors consists of seven members. Members of the board of directors of the Sanitas companies are automatically also members of the Sanitas Krankenversicherung (foundation) board of trustees. Individual members of the board of directors of the Sanitas companies are recruited on a competency basis. The powers and responsibilities of the board of directors of the Sanitas companies include strategic management, appointing and supervising the executive board and approving the annual report and financial statement. Members of the board of directors of the Sanitas companies are elected for a term of one year.

The board of directors of the Sanitas companies has established three committees from among its members: the Nomination & Compensation Committee, the Audit and Risk Committee and the Business Development Committee.

The Nomination & Compensation Committee prepares the business to be decided by the full board of directors and, where necessary, proposes motions regarding the definition of the processes for recruiting and evaluating the board of directors, CEO and executive board, the CEO’s annual performance appraisal, preparation and annual review of the remuneration model, and staff and succession planning.

The Audit and Risk Committee prepares the business to be decided by the full board of directors and where necessary proposes motions regarding the accounting set-up, the management of equity capital, financial controlling and financial planning, the consolidated financial statements of the Sanitas Group, budgeting, investment strategy and investment regulations, corporate governance, risk management, data protection and information security policy, and assessing the effectiveness of the internal control and risk management systems. The Audit and Risk Committee also fulfils the following tasks independently: management of the internal audit and co-operation with external auditors.

The Business Development Committee prepares the business to be decided by the full board of directors and, where necessary, proposes motions regarding all matters relating to the digitisation of the Sanitas Group.

Members of the board of directors of the Sanitas companies Sanitas Beteiligungen AG (holding company), Sanitas Grundversicherungen AG, Sanitas Privatversicherungen AG, Sanitas Management AG:

 

Ueli Dietiker
Chairman, Member since 2008

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Nadine Balkanyi-Nordmann
Member since 2013

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Dr. Luca Stäger
Member since 2015

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Michel Sudbrack
Member since 2019

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Monika Friedli-Walser
Member since 2013

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Peter Lüssi
Member since 2023

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Prof. Dr. med. Christoph Kindler
Member since 2023

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Executive board

Since 1 January 2017, one executive board is responsible for Sanitas Grundversicherungen AG and Sanitas Privatversicherungen AG. The executive board of Sanitas Management AG, newly founded in 2021, is also identical to the executive board of the other companies.

Chaired by the CEO, the executive board is responsible for managing the companies. It implements the strategy of the board of directors and ensures the target-oriented management and development of the Sanitas Group. The executive board is appointed by the board of directors and currently comprises six members. No member of the executive board is a member of the board of directors of the operational companies.

Members of the executive board of the Sanitas companies Sanitas Grundversicherungen AG, Sanitas Privatversicherungen AG and Sanitas Management AG:

 

Dr. Andreas Schönenberger
CEO since 2019

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Dr. Gabor P. Blechta
Risk Management & Compliance, member since 2015

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Alex Friedl
Claims & Customer Service, member since 2017

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Elias Frühauf
Operations & Digitalization, member since 2018

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Kaspar Trachsel
Sales & Marketing, member since 2018

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Wolfgang Wandhoven
CFO, member since 2013

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